Work in all district courts, barring Patiala House court, was affected on Monday with lawyers protesting the Delhi government's decision of increasing the revenue and judicial districts from 9 to 11.

"Nearly 50,000 lawyers abstained from work today and it was a complete strike in all the district courts of Delhi," R N Vats, chairman of the co-ordination committee of All District Court Bar Associations of Delhi, claimed. After Monday's strike, the lawyers' body is planning its future course of action which it said may include "gherao of Delhi Secretariat and a demonstration at the residence of Delhi chief minister."

The committee said government's move of adding two more revenue districts lacks justification and is "mere wastage of public money." The usually chaotic Tis Hazari courts complex witnessed a dip in activity with lawyers abstaining from appearing before the court. Work at Dwarka, Saket, Karkardooma and Rohini court complexes was also affected.

Patiala House court, however, worked as usual with the proceedings in the high-profile 2G spectrum scam case remaining unaffected. Sources in the New Delhi Bar Association said that only a "normal strike" was observed in the Patiala House Courts complex.

Vinod Bhardwaj, general secretary of the committee, in a statement said that "Co-ordination committee shall meet very soon and decide further course of action."